LA Weight Loss: Caught Out Again
One of the most heavily commented posts on Diet-Blog was about LA Weight Loss and their underhanded sales tactics. Comments were overwhelmingly critical of this weight loss clinic (however there were some occasional positive testimonials).
LA Weight Loss has been caught out again - and must pay out $100,000 in refunds to misled customers.
The Attorney General's office used "under-cover" shoppers to investigate LA Weight Loss and found a:
"classic bait-and-switch routine in which employees pushed the sale of protein bars and nutritional supplements after consumers had enrolled in the program," (source)LA Weight Loss also claimed that their protein bars would "prevent you from getting saggy, baggy skin when you lose weight," - a complete load of nonsense.
Consumers who believe they were misled when they enrolled in the LA Weight Loss program between Dec. 23, 2005, and Aug. 31 2006 may request a refund within 30 days. Get the full details here (in sidebar).
NOTE: This refund is only available to Washington State residents.
UPDATE: LA Weight Loss now offer an "at-home" program. The program includes access to an on-line community, customized meal programs, 4 weeks of LA Nutritional Bars, and samples of best-selling products -- total cost $219.
Please Note: 24/12/08
LA Weight Loss Closings
This is just a short post to address the five or so people that email us every week about LA Weight Loss closing down and not being able to get a refund.
We aren't affiliated with LA Weight Loss and we don't have any contact information for them. We are sorry that you have been a victim in whatever is going on with the company. Please contact the proper governmental agency if you cannot deal directly with the company. Unfortunately, Diet-Blog is unable to help you.
Kind Regards,
The Diet-Blog Team
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Sherry,
When you paid almost 300 dollars to lose 15 pounds ($20 per pound) what were you paying for? Did you just want the privilage of using their scale or did you want support and advice? I joined becasue I wanted the individual couseling, I expeceted this couseling to come from someone who could offer sound advice. I was told all the couselors had completed the program (a blantent lie). I have had to educate myself and that is fine, but what am I paying them for???
Your right you there are good and bad people in all professions and you can get differing advice from two different MD's. The difference is that if an M.D. gives you advice he or she had better be able to back it up with real research. If he or she can't you can go before the medical board. You also have recourse if their bad advice causes you harm and you can get a second opinnion. At L.A. Weighloss I was told I was not allowed to talk to their dietician, she lives in another state, I could not even have a phone conference, that is the reason I paid for the visit myself. Many people on this web site seem to agree with L.A. Weightloss that they can make whatever false claims they wish (agian they have been sued in 2 states for this behavior and were caught on national T.V. so do not say this behavior does not occur) and they should not be responsible-it is the fault of the consumer for believing the lies. Read Rip-Off Report.com or check with the BBB. You will see lots of complaints about L.A. and none (or very few) about their compeitors-that should tell you something.
Again, if you are joining for the accountablity you will get what you pay for. If you are joining becasue you want real advice and couseling it is a crap shoot, you might get lucky, chances are you will need to "educate yourself". Since I have educated myself I have begun to lose weight. I just wish I could get my money back, that way I buy my own scale, save the trip across town and continue to control my own weight loss. You may ask why I continue to go. Because I paid for a service and I will be dammed if they are going to take my money and shove me out the door!!!
Good luck with your last 5 pounds!!!!
ReplyAnonymous,
I agree with you. You are paying for people to be educated in the weight loss field either being a nutritionist or dietician. The accountability helps alot but if your not getting help from someone who knows what they are talking about you may as well just walk in weigh yourself and walk right back out. You are also correct on they want their employees to tell everyone they were on plan,90% never did I happen to be in the 10% that did. what state are you in? the reason Im asking is you are able to refund the program in certain states no matter how long you have been on it. Some states will refund you the amount of time you have left and the lites you did not take from the center. i am sorry you had a bad experience as a client. There a very few genuine people who care working for La Weight Loss and to the people who read this if you find one GREAT stick with only that person. Good luck to everyone in their adventure with La Weight Loss. It is hard to lose weight and I hope you all get the support and weight off!! Just remember stand your ground your are the consumer and you say what goes. Dont let them know intimate details about you and your life they will use them to their advantage not to help you.
ReplyNicole,
ReplyI am in Colorado. I would LOVE to get my money back for the lites. I cannot use the bars, I tried them for 11 weeks and lost nothing, stopped using them and started losing. I would even be willing to pay for the weeks I have left.
Anonymous,
Do you take all your lites home or are they still in the center? Im not sure if Colorado is a corporate center or franchise but let me find out or you know let me know. Do you still go in for weigh ins? If so ask them if they are corporate or what. That why I can tell you exactly what you need to do to get your money back. Why would you think you need to pay for the weeks you have left? If you have weeks left they are yours to use they cannot tell you that you cant come in if you have those weeks. I was saying you would be able to refund the weeks you have left if you wanted to.
ReplyI can tell by looking at my contract that it is franchise. My big fight, that started all my blogging, was when I asked them if I could keep coming in for weight loss after my weeks were up (which will be in March) I still have the six weeks of stabilization and the 1 year of maintanence, but I will still have weight to lose. She told me not to worry because they run specials all the time (meaning I should pay for additional weeks, and lites to lose the weight). I then pointed to my contract which says I can come for free and she (the assistnat manager) said, "oh yea we do that sometimes". Another counsleor tried to weasel out of it, using times I had cheated (there were 3, but like an idiot I was honest so they could use it against me). At this point they are going to honor the contract. I am in week 20, I lost nothing for the first 11 weeks, since I have switched to the gold plan and stopped eating the bars I have been averaging 1 to 2 pounds a week. With that kind of sucess they can no longer deny it was their stupid bars and bad advice that was preventing me from losing weight. The lites are still at the center. If I could get back the money for the lites and the weeks I have not used that would be GREAT!
ReplyI have recently joined LAWL, Initially have been impressed with the weight loss, But slowly have been realising that they are pushing me to buy their products which includes lite bars, juices, milkshakes etc. I have enrolled for 16 weight loss weeks and they have charged me for 16 weight loss weeks, 6 stabilization weeks and 52 maintenance weeks, Which i really dont understand, They claim that their products are part of their program..Kinda strange..I would like to pull out of this program and join something effective like weightwatchers, But initially they have mentioned that I can't pull out of the program, They said that even if i pull out i still have to pay the rest of the money. comments pls.
ReplyI am a former LAWL "Sales Counselor." While I was employed and helped others to work on their weight loss plans (and I helped about 100 people loose over 500 pounds), I, myself, lost about 25 pounds (and like most people, was on several of the meal plans to work toward my weight loss). I reviewed all of the comments posted here. I agree with the person who perceived how much we, the sales counselors, are pushed by our director and other corporate folks, to push the bars and the supplements to the clients for their weight loss success. Yes, they are high in calories (esp. carbohydrates and sugar) - not too healthy if you are possibly have or could be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Sadly, the numbers of women AND men, are growing - esp. among us "baby boomers" (too much MacDonalds and other "fast food", my friends)! Anyway, as a former employee, I apologize for those who were mis-led or have not lost the weight they hoped to. I still believe the LAWL program has the best components for peoples' weight loss success. Bottomline: watch what you eat and when (time of day, time of month, etc. etc.), exercise, share your successes and failures with those folks you trust the most AND who love you the most, and have a spiritual discipline that affirms the person you are now and are meant to be. Warm regards to all! REW
ReplyI joined 2 weeks ago and have lost 7lbs and love the diet but for me having to weight in 3 times a weeks help me because I know better then to over eat. I now think twice before indulging in unhealthy food. I have done every weight loss program and never enjoyed it. So far I really like this one. I purchased the bars and they told me I must consume 2 a day! So I took someones advice from this site and consume 1 a day but write down 2. It all sales! I only buy what I want, I love the biscottis and when the time comes to buy more bars I am going to look on ebay to save some money as I do enjoy the 1 bar as treat for the day! I'm hoping when I tell them I purchased product on e-bay they will just leave me alone.
ReplyAnonymous,
On your contract read thru it does it state about refunds and refunding product that has not left the center? Its hard for me to tell you exactly what you need to do with out seeing the contract they gave you because their are different contracts being used in different centers. I would really love to try and help you would you be able to scan your contract and email it to me that way I can see which one you have?
Jill,
ReplyIm glad your losing...keep it up. Im the one who told you to write down two but eat one. Keep up the good work and I hope you have continued sucess.
I know there are alot of questions, but I need some answers!!!! Thank you both for your time, any advice would be helpful.... (P.S. I haven't gone to the center for 2 weeks....I don't want to see them bc I can't believe they kept me on the same plan for 10 whole months...)
ReplyKeira,
Why did they put you on blue? Do you excercise alot or are you a diabetic,work long hours or over 65? Honestly my advise to you is to drop yourself to gold the difference is you lose that half protein and 1 starch. The portion sizes are still exactly the same in the gold as in the blue. Dont use 2 bars a day go down to one. The other lites are the powder drinks and soups. They are better than the bars for they are about 100 calories less then the bars and much less in carbs even some are zero. dont know to much about the luna bars but just check out the ingredients when you run out of bars it sould not hurt you if you replace them with one luna bar a day if you even need the bars at all that is up to you. Im sorry to say they will probaly want you to buy more weeks. If you are out of weeks and have stab and maint left just tell them you dont want to buy anymore weeks and to put you in stab BUT just continue on your gold plan and do not do any increases during stab continue to follow the gold. To them you may be in stab but in reality your still doing weight loss without having to purchase more weeks! Are you eligible for the rebate? If so and if anyone else is reading this so you know to in order for you to get your rebate you DO NOT have to consume 2 lites through weight loss and stab and one in maint....read the print over to validate your rebate you have to do the following:
1. consume one la lite daily ONLY during maint
2. be within 5 pounds of you goal weight
3. go to the center once a week during maint
These are the three main ways to guarntee your rebate
Most counselors will tell you to get your rebate you have to do the lites through the entire program and that is untrue.
ReplyI hope this is helping you out Keira and if I can offer anymore advice or help you to get to your goal please feel free to ask!!
Keira
I switched to Gold 8 pounds before I was supposed to and it made all the difference in the world. They have some juice, hot chocoate, shakes and soups that are "alternative lites". The hot chocolate is really good, the juice tastes like watery jello-but it has 8 grams of protein and will fill you up (40 calories-not fat). The soups are high in sodium and the shakes are just plain nasty.
If they will not switch you the only differnce between the purple plan (I assume that is your blue plan) and the gold plan is less protien (6 oz of chicken instead of 8) one less fruit and one less veggie (although if I get hungry I go over on my veggies-I have never hear of anyone getting fat eating peppers and onions-but do watch the carrots). Switch yourself and see what happens. Or stop eating the bars for a week and see what happens (do not tell them you have stopped or they could mess with your guarantee).
Nicole
ReplyI would be glad to send you a copy of my contract. I have read it and the only mention of a guarantee is a number I can call. Suprise there is not actual person on the other end, just a message with a promise to return my call. I am a little nervous about putting my e-mail out on this site. But perhaps I can open a new yahoo or something. I have to go but I will see what ideas I can come up with.
Thanks guys!! To be honest, I don't even know if I am eligible for the rebate anymore. There have been weeks I haven't gone to the center at all, and of course I have not stayed exactly on plan the whole time. My last visit to the center last week (after 20/20 aired) resulted in me grabbing my chart from the new (of course, they are always new) counselor and studying to see exactly how long I had been on blue and how much weight I had lost on it. I am currently the same weight I was in July, and I have since joined Curves, been stricter, etc. Anyway, if all that behavior doesn't knock me out of the running for the rebate, then I guess I am still eligible. I am so excited that you told me how to keep the rebate...I had no idea you didn't have to use 2 bars a day. They haven't mentioned me needing to buy more weeks yet, I continue to weigh in and stupidly follow the blue plan where I gain and lose, gain and lose. I was on blue because I work in retail, really long hours. I am actually 25 years old, and I also go to Curves. Obviously, it is not working.
My next question is how I go about getting the other lites. Do I use them in place of the bars? Do they cost more/less? Do they work? How do I ask my counselors to use/buy them?
Thanks for answering my questions, you have no idea how much you both are helping me!!!
ReplyKeira,
If you bought the lites in bulk and did not take them home they are included and you dont need to pay more instead of taking a box of bars as what varieties of la lites they have besides bars. You should of never been on blue due to working retail. I worked retail for years and working at La following plan I started on purple then dropped to gold. Honestly your having to much on blue plus eating the lites thats why your weight is going back and forth. Like I drop yourself and just minus the half protein and one starch from your current blue plan and eat only one bar if you enjoy eating them.
ReplyHi Nicole!
I'm glad that you're on here to provide some answers for us new comers in LAWL. As I've mentioned, I was in gold but got switched to purple since I did not purchase the LA Bars. I just wanted to know, to get the heads up, if there's a time that I should be aware in regards to switching plans again? Will they be switching me back to gold once I've lost all the weight? Or will there be any plan switches later down the road? I just wanted a heads up just in case I happen to be on a road block like Kiera and to also be more informed of how the rest of the process goes. I'm going into my 2nd week this week. Thank you for your time!
P.S
Thank you Anonymous for your reply on my last post! :D
Reply
hey Sweet Pea,
They will not switch you to any other plan,you will stay on purple until you loose your weight. You will have to decrease your portions at some point to continue to loose weight but they wont change your plan. My advice is when you began to plateau lower your protein portions by 2oz and take away a vegetable. that is the difference between the purple and gold plan which would be the one you would drop down to! Good Luck on your weight loss!!
ReplyHey Anonymous,
If you want to scan it an email it to me I set up this email address for that purpose....hatelaweight@yahoo.com that way I can see which one you have and let you know exactly what you would need to do.
ReplyNICOLE,
ReplyTHANK YOU FOR ANSWERING ALL OF OUR QUESTIONS. I THINK YOU'VE BEEN A BIG HELP TO MOST.
Thank you very much for the information Nicole! I'll keep your advice in mind if or once I hit a plateau. Take care! :D
ReplyI think that LA Weight Loss cares more about money than it does it's customers. I went there out of curiousity to see what the program was all about. I was talked into post dating a check for 316.00. So, that I could try out the miracle juice and go over the program brouchure and decide by the following Tues if I wanted to join or not. Well,even though I told the person that I did not have that kind of money on hand, that I was just curious as to how much it would cost me for the program and what the program was about, she
Replypromised that my health was the most important and that
they would work out some kind of arrangement for me to join the program, sm payments etc.. After taking the info home and going over it I was still undecided if I could financially do this let alone it was just before the holidays and was not sure if that would be a good time for me to try my very first diet program. I went to the set appt the following Tues only to find out the no longer had my check and that I was set to begin.
I explained that I would rather start the program after the holidays for like a new year thing. They told me they could not give me a refund and that I just may as well start now... I did not like the pushy pushy attitude, especially when they were telling me at least 800.00 expense before the Holiday
season, (I could not afford that at all.... I left with a box of protien bars and good luck... I was pissed.... I felt that I had been railroaded and out
316.00 I did not have. Come to find out that the postdated check went thru the bank as I was sitting there... and overdrafted my living expense bills. When I called about them depositing my check the very first day that I was there, they said well you still owe 500.00. Needless to say, why on earth would I want to do business with a company that cares about the money before they care about the person and with a company that lied the very first moment I walked in the door..
I have yet to receive my 316.00. I have never gotten a call back from them and everytime I have called them they say come on back when you have the other 500.00 and we can get you going. Like I feel like doing business with them...
As far as I am concerned that place is just a total rip off and takes advantage of people whom are desparate to loss weight... I will never have a good thing to say about their company and will tell everyone I know about their sales tactics....This has been going on now for 2.5 years...I do want my money back.....but I am sure that is not going to happen...
does anybody else feel this way?:
i don't know what it is, but when i'm not exercising i seem to look thinner and weigh less while on the program. i tested this out. for 2 weeks i didn't work about and i lost more weight than i have been in previous weeks. this is kind of rediculous to me but it sorta makes me think because they never told me to work out, actually one of their sales pitches to me was that "oh this is so and so and she lost 50 pounds and never set foot in a gym." maybe there's so much protein in the diet (la lites and large portions of protein) that make you gain muscle weight? i really don't know...but it is a little weird to me.
ReplyJenn
ReplyMuscle weighs more than fat, so you can acutally gain weight while working out, but look thinner. I do not think the protein can make you gain muscle weight, for me they prevented me from losing weight. My mom read some research (and I do not know the source) that says working out is not important to lose weight but is vital in keeping it off. That said when I was not losing one counselor told me I should be working out, another said I should not work out unless I can do it consistantly because my body will hold on to the weight to see if I am going to "burn it off". The dietician said that is non sense. She said you should work out because of the secondary benefits (cario etc). You might gain weight in the beginning becasue muscle weighs more than fat but in the end you will lose because muscle burns more calories than fat. Hope that helps.
Nicole
ReplyI e-mailed you my contract. It took forever to scan and upload so hopefully you will be able to open it! Thank you so much for all your advice and help
Can someone tell me which bars are most comparable to LA Lites? Pria, Luna.. etc.??
THANKS!
ReplyIsnt it funny how Nicole talks about how much she didn't learn working at LA weightloss, that she was not trained in nutrition, but is giving people advise on how to lose weight? Which is it Nicole? were you trained on nutrition or not? It doesn't go both ways. And I bet if you worked half as hard at LA as you do to seek revenge by using this web sight you might still have a Job. Crazy how that works huh?
ReplyAlicia,
You sure sound Katty! Nicole has the best understanding of this "plan" than anyone I've heard so for. The advise she has given does not sound like revenge!
I'm guessing you work at LAWL. If so were you trained in nutrition??
ReplyIf you read all my entries on here Alicia I said La does not train on nutrition BUT I wanted to lose weight which I did 80lbs by doing my own research and taking nutrition class at my local hospital so I could better serve my clients and myself. Could you be katty because I am telling the truth??????? I worked very hard at all 3 centers I worked at for La ALL of my clients were successful with their weight loss and still are because they are still in contact with me because unlike MOST LA counselors I actually care about them and want them to reach their goal weight and new how the product could affect them. As far as keeping my job get real Im glad I dont work their anymore I just miss my clients and feel sorry that they now have to deal with the SELL people at my former center that only care about the almighty dollar and not them. I had no reason to be fired they fired me for my resume being posted on a job website. Because I care and want people to be successful like I was at La without all the BS La provides I will answer and try to help anyone on here to get to their goal and get the results they over paid for.
Replythank you annonymous...that does make sense. i haven't been working out for a few weeks now and i really feel better than i did when i was. i look better, my clothes fit better...it's really strange. i guess once i get to a weight i'm happy with working out consistently to stay that way would be a good idea.
i'm also going to comment on something totally different here. i was watching the Tyra Banks show the other day and i really have gotten a whole new perspective of myself and my body. i'm really going to try to not stress about about it anymore.
I think we all should learn a lesson from Tyra and if you can get your hands on a copy of that episode from Monday or even a transcript, it will no doubt, make you see yourself in a new light.
You are meant to be the best YOU that you can be. It's so sad how we all try to lose weight bc we feel that is what is accepted in society. If we all stop looking at each other up and down and criticising each other, everyone will feel much better about themselves. I know a lot of you out there relate to what i'm saying, just think about it. if doing a diet is what is going to make you happy....do it. but if its not working and you're totally upset about it, think about why you are so upset and try to look at it is this is how youa re supposed to be.
ReplyA couple of months ago I inquired about LAWL and went in for my consultation. I was excited but, left there feeling like I had been beat up. I really didn't have the money but paid a deposit. I recently called to ask for money back and the ladie said refunds are non-refundable. I felt like they were pushy with a bunch of fake sales pitches. I started eating healthier and have lost weight anyway. I just don't believe this program is for the working class, it's for the rich and famous!
ReplyI too am a former employee, not disgruntled, just ashamed. It is very true the phrase "if they cry they will buy" was absolutely used. Currently they have stopped using that term in training-you will still hear in center level though. In California there is a huge turnover. There are several lawsuits going on. For all you non believers let me give you cold hard facts.
Reply1. The average client is on the program for 16 weeks!
2. The shortest program available-minus any specials like the 8 week makeover is 1 year!
3. To honor your contract and get your rebate you must use la lites no exceptions. If you don't you can still get the counseling but your guarantee is voided.
So for all you people who are having a great experience with LAWL consider yourself lucky. Remember there is scienctific proof that any of the products do what they claim. Our owner even took one supplement out of his centers due to the safety-remember celluway?
oops I meant no scientific proof
ReplyFor all you who feel you are due a refund, try small claims court. I know of several people getting most of their money back. It is not that difficult to do and is so worth the effort.
Replyno one wants to answer my question?? :)
Replypria or luna are the closest
Replythank you!! :)
ReplyI wish I would have read this blog before I joined. After going to the center, feeling vulnerable about my weight, I was not prepared for the contract when it was finally presented. Suddenly the $6 per week program was $521!. What, I inquired? Oh you pay for the weight loss based on 2lbs a week, then pay for 6 weeks of stabilization and then 1 year on maintenance. And another charge of $150 for program fees, scale and vitamins. But I don't need the extras. "Sorry, they come with the program." Two days later I come back to find I must purchase the bars. I said the ads say "eat your own food" but they say no it's part of the program. By this time the 48 hours to cancel the program has passed. It's been 20 weeks and 12lbs lost but the amount of money I have spent is riduculous. Now that I am out of bars, I refuse to buy more so I am done with the program. If you want to lose weight and not be ripped off - go elsewhere. LA Weight Loss is deceiving.
ReplyIn regards to the bars and supplements. The first ingredient in most of these is sugar, even the soups. Who puts sugar in soup? They are loaded with sodium and trans fats. In some states trans fats are illegal. I asked to speak to the dietitian regarding the contents and trans fats and was refused, because they do not need to explain to me the contents of the supplements. I spoke to another dietitian at my local hospital and she said stay away from these bars and packaged foods, I might as well eat a candy bar and eat at Macdonald's. Very unhealthy.
ReplyNicole,
Please don't pay attention to Alicia. I thank you for your advice and I enjoy reading every helpful hint you give. I don't have a problem with my center. The manager is great but it is all sales and I'm okay with it. I bought one batch of bars and I do enjoy them but I only eat one and write down two. I am down
Reply9.5 lbs and feel great. Weighing 2 to 3 times a week really helps me. I love the diet so far. There is one lady that works at the center and she is makes me laugh because she said your not on supplements? Why? I told her I take a daily vitamen as well as fish oil and I'm good to go! She didn't really have a comment!
Nicole,
ReplyI beleive this because I read your rant on bad business bureau. The sight you posted for us to read about LA. All you do is blab about how you were screwed over by a company. You stay in contact with your former clients??? becareful, that is ILLEGAL (remember that paperwork you signed when you were first hired?) You better hope your ex employer doesn't find you on here, you have given WAY to many specifics about yourself and your location. Michigan huh? And Slandering the company, you would find yourself in the courts for years. And no Im not Kathy, you really think everyone hates LA as much as you do? that their is only one person out there that could possibly object to your outrage? And PS ladies a lot of this info I was taught in training, (the training she claims she didn't get) that nicole is giving you. Also Renee look on the box... NO TRANS FAT and you show me a candy bar that tastes that good and has that small amount of sugar. ALSO look at the shakes instead of the bars ladies, they are lower in sugar, but all around all the la lites are better than a candy bar. Bottom line, check the BETTER BUSINESS Bureau in your local listings and see if LA is in good standing in your area
alicia
Replyshut the hell up.